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Behind the Scenes

I’m really really thrilled by the response to my graduate collection and that so many of you like it! It really is a bit surreal to be working on something for so long before finally unleashing it to the world, free for people to form their own associations and opinions. It’s already been referred to as ‘tribal’ yet also ‘cosy’, which wasn’t really in the back of my mind when I was making it, but still interesting to read nonetheless. I thought I’d share a few photos of my inspiration and the process of making some of the pieces. Whenever I tell people that I’m busy knitting, they assume that I’m sat in a rocking chair complete with needles and a cat but I can assure you that the reality is completely different.

Remember my visit to Battersea Boot Fair back in January? I used colours from these photos to influence my yarn choices and as the infamous Topshop pleated skirt was in the picture, it ended up in my colour palette and used for styling in the show. How it’s come full circle!

I decided to make the concept somewhat personal and expand on the nature of collections and the obsessive nature of amassing a large amount of items. It’s no secret that I’m a bit of a magpie, holding on to things for years and buying additional items that may appear similar on the surface. My concept also relates to the experiences I’ve gone through during my blogging lifetime, collecting images, taking them from their original context and sharing them on the Web. I used a lot of my own photos as research and managed to whittle everything down to looking at bookcases and their linear nature. I found the fact that people collect images of bookcases online fascinating in itself as they are objects which can contain such a range of literature in one organised space. The stylised way a collection looks almost as important as the items themselves, if this Tumblr is anything to go by. I wanted each garment to be like an assortment of items joined together, but also being part of a wider collection, united by colour, shape and technique.

The knitting machine in action with a panel that ends up being part of this dress

The only outfit post I did within this time – wearing my dodgy toile

You can see me knitting the skirt in this video here – excuse the hair and telephone voice

My theme basically developed into a process of joining disparate fabrics together, to create a new whole. The knit room became a bit of a second home whilst I resolved all of the issues, such as one panel mysteriously falling off the machine six times!

I much prefer knitting at home, due to the obligatory pyjama and scruffy hair uniform, so turned my living room into a bit of a makeshift studio from March onwards. Yarn was a constant fixture around the house and somehow managed to get everywhere, the strangest sightings being in the bath and a cup of coffee. You can also spot the Asos creeper style brogues I used for styling; now I can finally wear the grey pair I’ve kept!

So my four year degree has now finished and I’m back in London to figure out my next step. It’s such a strange feeling and perhaps hasn’t quite sunk in yet that my friends will now be scattered all around the country and I don’t have the ‘comfort blanket’ of University for much longer. I’ve been in a reflective sort of mood for the past few days and it’s amazing to think of how much you change living the student lifestyle (and in my case the fashion student lifestyle is a completely different experience altogether). How did you feel when departing University? I now face the prospect of finding a job and trying to fit all of my junk into my tiny room back home; I spy some eBaying on the horizon!

So love this post Kristabel, really lovely to see the inspiration behind your collection. So cool to see how your influences came together in your knitwear. Love those personalised labels too…so much cooler than the ones I used to have sewn into my uniform during primary school!

Must be nice to be back home…I'm sure you're destined for BIG THINGS! xx

It's great to see the process and your inspiration behind the collection. You must feel so relieved now. Seeing the pictures makes me wish I had done knitwear instead now.

When I finished uni, the only thing I could think about was my bed. Then after I awoke from what I like to call the "post uni coma" I started to think about whether I should find a job or start up alone, and to be honest I'm still trying to figure is out. My dream is to have my own line but the more sensible thing to do would be to find are job.

The world was a different place when I finished uni in 2007… far less pressure to find a job, I guess. I was quite lucky and went straight into one, but I haven't stopped working in four years and feel like I need a bit of a break! If I could do it again I might take a few months off, to go 'find myself' 😉

Love these photos. It's fascinating to see behind the scenes of your collection, and the photos show just how much work went into its creation. x

Amazing post, so good to hear the inspirations behind your FAB collection. Defo feeling reflective too at the moment… Weird how being 'a student' becomes quite a large part of your identity and a jolly good justification for not having a true direction for the future… Now I have finished I just feel embarrassingly aimless. And skint! How I am missing the loan…Looking forward to hearing what your next steps might be, you're surely destined for amazing things! xxx

Wow! This is amazing. I haven't stopped by in a while and it's great to catch up. What an amazing collection/ accomplishment! I'm really impressed with your ability to even do this.

When I finished college, it was really anti-climactic and I felt pretty lost. Yet, you get going and find something just as fulfilling for the next stage of life. I wish the best of luck with the next stages.